Chapter 308 Dubai
Shakir is short, thin and not good-looking. His friends call him "Guangmingding" because he is basically bald.
Shakir's father used to be a dock worker in Mazagan. After being fired, he took odd jobs painting ships to supplement the family income. His mother earned money by sifting rice for others.
There were five children in the family, seven of whom lived in a small house. Shakir, the second oldest, started out repairing TVs at an electronics store after graduating from high school. He later resold fake watches and occasionally collected debts for gangs, which soon caught Dawood's attention.
Shakir first became famous when customs seized smuggled gold. He was still a member of the Dawood gang at that time.
When Delhi customs officers came to the house in a threatening manner, Shakir jumped into the gutter outside the window without hesitation. The customs officers inspected the gold in the house, counted the specific amount, and then filed out.
Shakir had been guarding on the ground floor. He pointed a gun at the first staff member who stepped out of the door and snatched the gold back.
He slapped the customs officers who were forced to surrender to save their lives, and then let them go.
The extremely angry customs and police blocked the entire Napada area, just to find one person: "That shorty."
Dawood helped Shakir escape jail. In the late 1980s, Shakir jumped bail and fled to Dubai.
He has two daughters who are now also in Babayang, but they hate the place very much. However, no matter how much they hate it, they have nowhere else to go and have to rely on Shakir's income to survive.
Shakir himself remotely controlled the underground gangs in Mumbai from Dubai. One of his pastimes was to use a huge projector to play western movies all night long.
Not an American cowboy western, but an Indian western, a shoot-em-up film based in Rajasthan.
Even if India has many faults, it is still the hometown where he grew up.
He didn't like Dubai, but he had to live here. He watched Hindi TV and frequently contacted his subordinates in Mumbai, hoping to replicate Mumbai in Dubai.
He had no real friends among the locals; he was unknown, alone, and isolated, feeling both safe and sad.
Shakir is very nostalgic now. The news that a new flyover has been built in Andheri from Mumbai is enough to make him feel familiar.
Shakir and Kamal have a very close relationship. He never speaks in a condescending manner in front of Kamal and is a simple person.
"Brother, you can do this." He taught Kamal carefully, just like his elder brother.
Shakeel doesn't hold grudges within the gang unless you're truly disrespectful. He also has another name in Mumbai's Malpuddan slum: the Scales of Justice.
The nickname originated from a trial when Shakil was still in Mumbai.
There was an old man who owed eight lacs of money to someone, and the creditor brought the case to Shakir.
The old man was taken alone to Shakir's office where Kamal was playing cricket.
The old man pleaded that he was in urgent need of money and his daughter's dowry could not wait any longer.
Shakir immediately said: "Then you don't have to pay back a penny."
He was also given an additional two lacs as an emergency measure. The Mumbai court was not so humane.
Kamal was impressed by Shakir's principles in doing things and respected him as "boss" or "haji", which is a respectful title in Muslim culture.
When Shakir learned that Kamal had been kidnapped, he immediately used his connections in Mumbai to rescue him.
Kamal is his friend, and Shakir also needs Kamal as a money bag.
It may be difficult for outsiders to imagine that Daoud and Shakir are also wary of each other.
The two were unhappy because of various grudges, but Shakir needed Dawood's money to survive. In return, he protected Dawood from the conspiracy of Rajan Jr.
Most of Dawood's money flows through Kamal, which makes Kamal particularly important.
For this purpose, Shakir even called the Federation, the mortal enemy of the Daud Gang, and finally found Ron.
After much deliberation, Ron agreed to his trade request.
Kamal is of no use to him and can be used as a bargaining chip.
Of course, he could take the opportunity to do a favor for the Daud gang, claiming that this was to thank Kamal for the previous tip-off.
As for asking the New Federation to release the people, that's just a matter of words.
Johnny and his friends' business, as well as the recent incident, are all thanks to Ron's great favor.
After the two parties agreed on a time, Ron immediately took his people to Dubai.
Well, Mary and Karuna are still accompanying us this time.
Ron has already decided that Sun TV's flagship drama will be crime and detective dramas.
He has great resources around him. He has Ajay in the police department and the New Federation and the Daud Gang in the mafia department.
A two-pronged approach, combining inside and outside, strives to present the most realistic crime scene.
Sun Entertainment is preparing to personally shoot a flagship TV series, "Return to Mumbai," which tells the story of young people living at the bottom of society, how they get involved in gangs, and how they deal with the police.
Since this is the first time I’m directing a TV series of this type, the style can be brighter, and it must be exciting and explosive.
Surprisingly, Shakir agreed to reveal a series of inside stories about the gang to Sun TV.
He hopes that through television, India's government, society, judicial system, and various gangs will know that "gangs exist for a reason."
He suggested that Ron write the most realistic gang war into the movie script, which should be different from the previous absurd film and television works.
"This is not a fairy tale," he said over the phone.
To this end, he is willing to assist Ron and his team in conducting field investigations. The TV station people can go to Dubai and spend fifteen days observing the operation mode of the gang.
According to Shakil, Indian television should indeed write this script so that the government can know the actual situation of gang warfare and formulate the best strategy to fight gangs.
He even joked that this was a move that would benefit society.
If the government is willing to control gang extortion within reasonable limits, it should allow smuggling to be profitable.
"We need to re-tighten trade policies on gold, imported watches, and electronics. Since we can't eliminate the mafia, we must learn to coexist with them."
Shakir also said that sometimes gangs fight each other just to get a name in the newspaper. They have no respect for the law and even regard breaking the law as a kind of honor.
When Ron and his friends got off the plane at Dubai Airport, Vinod was there to greet them with a large group of people.
They were sitting in taxis and vans, lined up along the road, there were more than ten of them.
When running a travel agency business, the thing they have the most is cars, as they need to transport people around.
There are more than ten buses, and Vinod's own car is an Audi.
Ron asked him to buy this. Without some respect, how could the people from the electrical certification agency easily receive him?
"Ron Baba." Vinod came over and bowed to touch feet.
"How many days have you not shaved?" Ron said jokingly, holding his shoulders.
"Beard can block the wind and sand." Vinod smiled, a smile from the heart.
Overseas, he missed his hometown of Mumbai. Fortunately, he was not a wanted gang member, so when he missed it most, he would fly back.
But when he saw his old friend from Mumbai, Vinod was still very friendly and he couldn't wait to show Ron the business here.
"We have four offices in Dubai alone. The largest one is in an office building with a beautiful view of the bay."
"Yes, this is indeed the most dreamy state in Mumbai." Ron looked at the tall buildings outside the car window with a relaxed expression.
The convoy shuttled through the brand new urban area without any obstruction. The whole city looked brand new, as if it had just been built yesterday.
It was a world of difference from the scene in Mumbai, where the spacious Audi sped past skyscrapers with no one on the road.
The only drawback is that there isn't enough greenery here. The main road is bare, unlike Grant Road, which is shaded by trees.
The car stopped in front of the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai. Vinod had booked a suite for Ron in advance.
This is Dubai's first five-star hotel, which has hosted dignitaries from various countries and is very close to the airport.
Ron just took a shower here and then began to meet with several senior managers of the travel agency.
Some of them were interviewed by Ron himself in Mumbai when they were still fresh graduates.
Now, after two or three years of training, most of them have acquired the style of managers.
Ron encouraged them a few words and then went to inspect the main offices, completing his condolences.
The profit of travel agencies is actually average. They can only make about 200 million rupees a year, which is nothing compared with giants like Sur Electric.
But it is an important channel in Ron's hands. In addition to deterring the Mumbai gangs hiding here, it is also a key gateway for transferring money.
Considering the credit of the rupee and the unstable exchange rate, Ron exchanged all his spare money into US dollars.
Today, Sur Electric produces 500,000 televisions per month, generating a profit of Rs 2.2 billion per month.
If we add in appliances such as water conditioners, electric fans, rice cookers, and juicers, 3 billion rupees will not be a problem.
Of course, such a large amount of money couldn't just sit there in the bank account. Ron used some of it to expand production and invest in the port, and the rest was laundered into US dollars.
The travel agency is the best cover. Except for Dubai, it has branches in all the Persian Gulf countries.
Ron's money was slowly diverted through these dozens of accounts, each holding 100 to 200 million rupees, which was both inconspicuous and safe.
Once the money is abroad, it is easy to handle. It can be deposited into an offshore account of a Swiss bank in just one night.
The US dollar is still better. You can buy everything with it and the exchange rate is stable.
Without this channel, Sur Electric Appliances would not be able to obtain any of the technology, production lines, or raw materials it wanted.
Therefore, the travel agency does not account for a large proportion in Ron's career, but its position is extremely important.
When he came to Dubai, he didn't rush to meet Shakir first, but met with the middle and senior management here one by one.
It took him two days to deal with internal affairs before he took Mary and the others to the appointment.
The two parties agreed to meet at the Jumeirah Resort. When Ron arrived, the little Shakir was sipping whiskey alone.
There were a few people sitting at the table next to him, looking over here from time to time.
The same goes for Ron and his group. Vinod has no shortage of manpower here.
But this is Dubai, and guns are prohibited.
People can't just put their guns on their waists like they did in Mumbai. Now this behavior is more about showing off.
Ron just waved, and Vinod and the others dispersed and sat at another table.
He took Mary and Karuna and sat down directly opposite Shakir.
"May peace and tranquility be with you, Mr. Soule."
"Good luck." Ron nodded.
The two men had calm expressions, completely devoid of the tension they had when they threatened each other with death over the phone.
(End of this chapter)
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